music
words by: Daisy Gaunt design by: Priyansha Kamdar Coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has never been easy, and although the legal restrictions on homosexuality have lessened, the societal restrictions somewhat remain. The process of owning your sexuality publicly is never easy; unfortunately it is the nature of the world we live in, although there are relatively new anti-discrimination laws that protect members of the LGBTQ+ community publicly, revealing one’s true self can often be met with social prejudices and apprehensions. Speaking at a Stonewall event in 2018, Years & Years musician Olly Alexander revealed that during the band’s media training, he was advised "maybe its better not to say anything about your sexuality at all", adding "I’m sure she said it with the very best intentions", yet, pop songs created by straight musicians can often be graphically sexual and open; clearly discriminatory behaviour still exists. Despite gay culture being the underlying force behind most popular music trends in the 1970s and 1980s, being open with one’s sexuality was massively frowned upon. At this point, it is important to remember that homosexuality was actually illegal until 1967 under the Vagrancy Act of 1898.
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